Chester FC Community Trust and The Football Mental Health Alliance have teamed up to offer a free webinar for anyone involved in grassroots football.

The webinar, which is at 6.30pm on Monday, 14 November, will be delivered by Martin Roberts, one of the UK’s leading experts in the lived mental health experience.

A teenage survivor of the Hillsborough disaster, Martin shares his vulnerability by speaking openly about that fateful day and how unbeknown to him, it would be the catalyst of what would be another personal fight for survival some 28 years later.

Martin’s signature talk ‘A Walk in My Shoes’ shows people how important it is to prioritise your mental health and how leaders, players, staff, coaches and parents and carers within the football community can take some key steps to support themselves and those in their care. Martin will also share the support mechanisms he put in place to aid his recovery plus the significant role everyone can contribute to if others are experiencing a deterioration in their mental health.

Jim Green, CEO of Chester FC Community Trust, said: “Mental wellbeing is increasingly a key priority for us, particularly given the unprecedented challenges we have all experienced in recent years.

“We are very pleased to be working with The Football Mental Health Alliance to raise awareness of this free webinar and encourage anyone involved in the game, whether as a player, coach, volunteer or parent, to attend.”

Danny Matharu, founder of The Football Mental Health Alliance, said: “It is widely recognised that early intervention is key when it comes to maintaining good mental health, so we hope this webinar can help in educating and supporting the mental health of all those who register.

“The plan is for this webinar to be the first in a series across a whole year, offered alongside a full suite of mental health support products for all those who interact with and are interested in football.”

The webinar is free to all delegates and post event materials will be accessible, giving delegates the chance to review the information in the webinar to solidify their understanding. A recording of the webinar will also be sent to delegates, so if you are unable to attend on the night, you can still register to ensure you receive the recording afterwards.

For more details and to register for this free webinar, visit www.thefmha.com/events.